NATO values Poland: alliance chief

NATO values Poland as a reliable and important ally, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday as Poland marked 19 years since joining the defence union.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: NATO.mil

In an interview for Polish state broadcaster TVP, the NATO secretary general thanked Poland for its "great contribution" to the alliance, noting that the country was engaged in NATO missions and was involved in boosting security in Europe.

At a 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw, NATO decided it will deploy four multinational battalions to Poland and three Baltic countries, which fear potential Russian aggression following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. A battalion arrived in Poland early last year.

Stoltenberg on Monday said having the NATO troops stationed along the alliance's eastern front was very important.

Stoltenberg also said that Poland was part of NATOs reactions to threats from the west and south.

NATO's secretary general said Russia, Daesh – also known as ISIS – and conflicts in Iraq and Syria posed threats that Poland and NATO were responding to.

Poland and the Czech Republic and Hungary officially joined NATO on 12 March 1999. (vb)